18 People Dead, 187 Injured After Train Derailed; Requesting Prayers

There has been some tragic news that has come in from over the weekend. A train that derailed has killed at least 18 people and has injured 187.

We would like to take a moment to ask our readers to keep everyone in their thoughts and prayers as people mourn the loss of their family and friends. Please keep the first responders in your thoughts as well.

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On Sunday afternoon, a train derailed killing at least 18 people and further injured 187 people in Taiwan. Among those that died, eight of them were of a single family who was returning home from a wedding in New Taipei city that weekend, according to "Newsweek."

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At about 5 p.m. local time, the train was traveling in Yilan County, which is in the northeastern region of Taiwan, between Taipei and the eastern county of Taitung, when it derailed. The train was carrying a total of 366 passengers, and five of the eight carriages overturned.

https://twitter.com/BBCBreaking/status/1053966524443176961

According to reports, the worst fatalities occurred in the five carriages that flipped on their side.

“At this time of great sadness, the people of Taiwan are standing together with those affected by the train accident in Yilan,” Tsai Ing-wen, president of Taiwan, wrote on Twitter Monday morning. “My government is sparing no efforts in helping the families of the victims in all possible ways.”

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At this time, authorities are still trying to determine what caused the accident. Many passengers told reporters that they felt the train traveling at an unusually high speed. During the journey home, the train was brought to a stop two times, and passengers said that they were told some problems needed repairs.

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On Monday, the transport ministry officials said that they believe the high speed partly caused the derailed train. Also, 20 minutes before the crash, the driver reported that the air pressure in the train's breaks was "too low."

WATCH:

https://twitter.com/TaiwanNews886/status/1054225968796057601

"The train stopped twice and we were told that there were problems that needed repair, but the train restarted not long after," one passenger told reporters, according to "Newsweek." "We felt that the speed was too fast; then there was a crashing sound, and we flew off [the seats]."

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"The train was going very fast. I thought to myself, Why was it not slowing down on a curve? I hit a wall when the car started to flip. Around five to six people were thrown out of the carriage door. There’s no time to think what happened. Everyone was in a rush to get out," passenger Henry Tseng, who suffered eye injuries, said.